High-rise buildings completed in the previous year are eligible for this award. In 2014, there were 88 applications. Before choosing the main laureate, CTBUH names winners in four regions: Asia and Australasia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, North and South America.
When selecting participants, the Council is guided not only by the actual height, but also takes into account its relation to the urban planning context of the building. And the criteria for choosing the best of the best are the project's contribution to the development of high-rise construction and to the “sustainable development” of the urban environment, innovation in design and technology.
This year, the jury noted the wide variety of applications received: from renovation projects to high-rise buildings with an unusual function for them. So, for example, one of the finalists is the building of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Zaha Hadid.
The tallest green facade in the world
The largest number of applications came from the Asia and Australasia region: after all, this is where China and the "Asian Tigers" are, where skyscrapers are being built very actively. 10 towers from this region were among the finalists, and, despite the fact that there were only 2 Australian buildings among them, the victory went to the skyscraper in Sydney - One Central Park, designed by Jean Nouvel.
The residential complex with a height of 117 m is a vertical park: the facades of the building made of steel and concrete are buried in greenery. The applied hydroponic technologies (growing in an artificial environment without soil) made it possible to plant plants around the entire perimeter and at different levels, and heliostats - controlled mirrors placed on the facades, provide them with a sufficient amount of sunlight, while, if necessary, heating and lighting the premises. The project of the world's tallest "green walls" was developed by their most famous author, repeated co-author of Nouvel Patrick Blanc. More photos of the building
can be viewed here.
This is not the first time Jean Nouvel has received the CTBUH award: in 2012, his Doha Tower skyscraper
became a laureate in the Middle East region.
Rotate 90 degrees
The only finalist and, accordingly, the winner for the Middle East and Africa was the Cayan Tower skyscraper by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, multiple CTBUH award winners: their skyscrapers have become laureates in different regions already 13 times!
The 304-meter Cayan Tower is this year's tallest winner and also the only representative of the traditional typology - a compact plan with a central communications core at an impressive height. Each floor of a high-rise residential complex is deployed by 1.2 degrees relative to the previous one, which in total of 75 floors is 90 degrees of the difference between the first and last tiers.
Greetings from the 70s
While Asia is only gaining momentum in high-rise construction, in America - the birthplace of skyscrapers - they are already being reconstructed. Best American Skyscraper 2014 - Originally from the 1970s. Project
Renovations of the 1974 EGWW office building in Portland were designed by sera Architects and Cutler Anderson Architects, the only newcomers to this year's awards list.
Over 3 years of operation (2010–2013), the boring box “turned green” and grew to 110 m, turning into a highly energy efficient building. The main element of the renovation project is an additional curtain facade made of thin aluminum screens that regulate lighting and protect the interior from overheating. In the near future, it will be braided with plants to the height of the first three floors.
Koolhaas's American Dream
The 149 m high multifunctional center De Rotterdam is the longest running OMA project (1997–2014) and the largest building in the Netherlands - now also the best skyscraper in Europe.
The British newspaper The Guardian described its architecture as "cut-and-paste", "cut and paste". Indeed, this building is a collective portrait of a classic American skyscraper as interpreted by OMA. Even the name De Rotterdam was not given to it by the name of the city, although it is located in Rotterdam. This was the name of one of the ships that took away the European emigrants of the last century to meet the American dream. Now the natives of the Old World do not need to swim far: Rem has assembled for them his own model of New York with de-centricity characteristic of Dutch art.
This is not the first time that the Rotterdam Office has won this award. Koolhaas' extraordinary approach to form creation was already noted in 2013. And this year it is already the second OMA award from CTBUH: the bureau also received the newly established Urban Habitat Award for the Interlace residential area. This award for the highest quality of the urban environment, among other advantages, also takes into account the social and cultural significance of high-rise buildings.
